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Mindful Midweek

It is an honor to be the recipient of all of the stories from participants in our Mindful Midweek contests. Thank you for sharing little stories about personal life change. Choices we make each day have major influences on the lives we lead and the lives of those around us.

The $250 single-sentence contest was won by Jana Law from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania–I love the humility and the simplicity. Jana appreciates the win, but insists she respectfully decline receiving any cash award.

“My father, a Little League baseball coach in 1977, put his “little girl” at short stop, and by believing in me, made all the difference in my life as I had the self confidence years later to enter a male-dominated criminal justice field.”

And, drum roll, the $1,000 change story prize goes to Bonnie Buchanan of Lubbock, Texas. The raw power of her story made it a winner. (Due to its length, I was only able to include a part of the content.)

“A year into my parents’ separation, I moved back to bunk with my Mom. I was flat broke and desperate for help. A few friends had suggested I check out a 12-step program. I thought they were full of baloney. As the proud, introspective and socially active daughter of two therapists, I was sure that a groupthink program for addicts had nothing to offer me. But I was afraid of the anger boiling inside of me. Suspiciously, I entered the obscure Catholic Church’s annex for my first Al-Anon meeting. I had on a weather-stained bandana, ripped jeans and a scowl. I saw the smiling faces of a couple old codgers and a dozen well-mannered matrons with big Texas hair and lipstick. They couldn’t have looked less helpful…I planned to jet away. But, after short readings from some basic literature, people started sharing. They were honest and open, as exposed as I felt, but unashamed. I never imagined I wasn’t alone. For the first time in my life I don’t feel insane, and I’m not caught in my own old ruts…What a blessed difference.”

This is a fitting end to Mindful Midweek. It has been a joyous adventure for me and, I hope, a worthwhile investment of your time. I wish to thank the thousands of you who corresponded with me over the last five years. You have made me a better person.